Chapter 10

I could figure this out. I could find Monroe. He'd told me the bar where he'd originally met the bookie. Slabtown. Hard to forget a name like that. I'd go there. Maybe I'd get lucky and find that bookie. If he was the one who gave Monroe the address, then he had something to do with it.

My reckless woge was in full force as I drove hastily toward Northwest 16th Avenue, weaving in and out of traffic as my GPS directed my turns. I plugged in my MP3 player to try to calm my nerves with music. Papa Roach's 'Reckless' came on almost as a warning.

"I'm reckless,
So reckless,
God save me from this madness…"

Yeah, so the surge was happening again. I didn't care. I just needed to find Monroe. My speed was increasing on each turn, and I was far from obeying the speed limits. My eyes darted around for police cars. I had no time to waste getting pulled over.

Once I found Slabtown, I walked through the entrance and surveyed the bar. The bartender looked up and gave me a smile. It wasn't too incredibly busy considering it was a Saturday night. There were quite a few stools open around the bar and a half a dozen or so patrons occupied the tables. A few guys were hanging around a pinball machine on the other side of the entrance. Then I spotted him. Sitting in one of the corners of the bar was a silver-haired guy with a matching beard, wearing a cabbie hat and glasses. He was checking off something on a piece of paper. It had to be him. He looked like a bookie.

I walked over slowly and the bookie noticed me heading in his direction. He had a woge before I was even halfway to his table. A Mauzhertz. At least he was an approachable Wesen. Well, Hickory Dickory Dock, this mouse had messed with the wrong clockmaker. My blood was boiling under my skin, but I let the calm wash over me and kept my face pleasant. Hopefully Hickory Dickory (emphasis on Dickory) would tell me what I needed to know.

"Can I help you, Honey?" Hickory Dickory asked, looking me over and smiling.

The file cabinets in my brain searched for a reply, but my reckless surge supplied the words for me instead. "Yeah, I heard there was someone here who could help me with a wager," I replied, giving him a sexy smile. Maybe my womanly charms could get the info I needed.

Hickory Dickory darted his eyes around to see if anyone had heard me. He motioned me to lean in so we could talk. I took a seat beside him and he whispered, "What kind of action you looking to put down for, Babydoll?"

"Well, this would be a special kind of event," I responded, keeping my eyes on his.

He gave me a curious look, but inquired further. "What kind of special event do you mean?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Oh, this would be an event with some hand to hand combat," I replied, still staring him in the eyes.

"Hand to hand combat?" The Mauzhertz had another woge, but then seemed frightened when I didn't do the same thing back. He stammered a moment, reaching for his hat. Oh, he knew what I was referring to, but I wasn't Wesen, so he was starting to look uncomfortable. "I don't know what you mean," he said flatly, resting his eyes back down on his paper and resuming his work.

"I think you know exactly what I mean," I replied, leaning in a little further. Hickory Dickory glanced partially up at me and seemed annoyed. "You had no problem telling a Blutbad who to meet, and now he's missing." I hated outing myself, but this was a matter of life and death.

The Mauzhertz stopped writing, looked directly at me with his eyes wide, and turned pale as a sheet. "No, you can't be…" He shot back in his chair, having another woge. "You're a Grimm?!" He was trying to whisper, but he really wanted to scream and scamper off as fast as he could. Any doubts I'd had if Hickory Dickory had anything to do with Monroe's disappearance vanished at his reaction. He knew exactly where Monroe was.

"Okay, Mauzhertz." I glared at him, fixed on his eyes. "So, you wanna tell me where this little event is being held, or are we going to have to do this the hard way?" I'd heard that line in a movie once. If Hickory Dickory thought I was a Grimm, well then, so be it. I needed info, and if he was scared, so much the better.

His body shook like an earthquake as he scribbled down an address and passed it to me. "I don't want no trouble," he whimpered, still quivering in his chair.

"If anything has happened to that Blutbad because of you, then I suggest you sleep with one eye open tonight, Mauzhertz." We locked eyes again while I attempted to look menacing. I tossed the paper in my bag and walked out the door, catching my breath.

Chloe wasn't the only one who'd taken drama in college, and my performance had gone pretty well. I put my hand up to my mouth, still shocked at what I'd just done. The recklessness was giving me a rush and it was exhilarating! If it had been any other Wesen I probably wouldn't have been able to pull that off, but a Mauzhertz was easy to manipulate. I had the address, now I just had to find Monroe!

A/N: I've been listening to Papa Roach's "Reckless" as I've been writing this story. It fits Renée well, and you'll see why as the story progresses. I suggest you check out the song on YouTube and give it a listen. It'll be referenced often.

So what do you think so far? I'm loving your comments, I read each one! Stay tuned...